Man Of Secrets
by KevIsTehAwesomeness
Summary: The team investigate a murder that leads to one Summer Bay resident: Harvey Ryan. Did Harvey really kill this person? And how will Roo react when she finds out?
1. Murder Near The Airport

Special Agents Anthony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee were sitting at their desks, DiNozzo reading a comic when Special Agent Ziva David arrived and noticed Tony's enthusiasm into the comic.

"Tony? Here before me? It is a miracle!" Ziva stated.

"Hey, when McGook gets limited edition copies of Batman comics, a guy can't say no to beating it's owner to reading it" Tony told Ziva.

"Yep, haven't even read it yet and now it's got DiNozzo paw prints all over it" Tim stated.

Ziva cackled.

"What's so funny?" Tony asked Ziva.

"Oh, nothing. I just find it amusing how you are acting like a two year old with their favourite toy over a mere book" Ziva told him.

"Of course you don't understand, it's a guy thing," Tony explained, "Women don't get the intensity that is Batman"

"Oh?" Ziva queried, "And what can this Batman do that I cannot?"

"Be endorsed, for starters," Tony made a witty remark, "But no matter which Batman you're talking about, be it film or comic, he can stop bad guys in the blink of an eye. Without any superpowers."

"Can he solve a murder?" Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs asked Tony wittingly as he went to his desk.

"Oh, well, that depends which Batman you're referring to, Boss.." Tony started.

"A case, Boss?" Tim interrupted, getting down to the serious business.

"Yep. Dead marine found murdered two blocks away from Washington Airport. Grab your gear" Gibbs told the team as they headed out the door.

The team arrived at the crime scene, to see that their Medical Examiner, Donald 'Ducky' Mallard and his assistant, Jimmy Palmer, had already arrived and were examining the body.

"What have you got, Duck?" Gibbs asked Ducky.

"Well, Jethro, this young man appears to have slit wrists but I would determine the cause of death to be strangulation, with a more abusive attack to his heart" Ducky told the team.

"Got a time of death?" Gibbs inquired.

"I would say he has been dead for quite some time now, Jethro. His pale skin is a sure indication of that. How he was only found just now is beyond me. Once I get him to Autopsy, I'll be able to give you a rough estimate" Ducky replied.

"Who is he?" Gibbs asked as he walked up to McGee, who was cleaning out the victim's pockets.

"Naval Officer Brian Hadden, Boss. He works for the Naval Delivery Service and according to his planner I found in his pocket, he was taking leave from his work and was scheduled for a flight to Australia five weeks ago. I looked everywhere but I couldn't find his plane ticket." McGee replied.

Meanwhile, Ziva and DiNozzo were scanning nearby the crime scene.

"Our Deliveryman takes leave to fly to Australia, and then gets murdered," Tony said, "It doesn't add up"

"Perhaps he wanted to spend his leave on a relaxing, beautiful holiday" Ziva stated.

"Not that," Tony said, "Why would he need to be murdered? The murderer could have just stolen the ticket from him and ran off to Australia. There needs to be a connection here somewhere"

"Perhaps there was a struggle and the murderer caved in to fear" Ziva replied.

"But why the effort to strangle and damage his heart? Something just doesn't seem right..." Tony said, then he began to notice something, "What's that?"

He pointed to a crack in a big oak tree, that looked like it was shining.

"Trees do not reflect last time I checked" Ziva told Tony as she put on some gloves and reached into the crack.

She pulled out a knife with a sharp tip. Tony and Ziva gave each other a glance and made their way back to the crime scene.

"Gibbs, we found something" Ziva said.

"Possible murder weapon" Tony added.

Gibbs turned towards their direction and studied the knife.

"Ah, the classic knife" Ducky stated as he noticed it.

"What do you mean by that, Duckman? Do you know something about this knife we don't?" Tony asked Ducky.

"It is the classic knife used in the art of fishing. It is usually used in chopping off the hard to cut bait, which is why it's tip is much sharper than the average knife's" Ducky responded.

The team just stared at him.

"I used to be quite the fisherman in my day" Ducky stated.

Back at NCIS Headquarters, the team were in their cubicle. They had a big screen with the victim's name and face on it.

"So, Brian Hadden, Naval Delivery Officer, thirty-four. One ex-wife. According to the records, they divorced because of parental issues. That's all we know about him." McGee said from his desk.

"Should we visit the ex-wife, Boss?" Tony asked.

"No" Gibbs said.

"No?" Ziva asked.

"No. DiNozzo, I want you to find out if he had any enemies in his department in his work area. Ziva, check Hadden's criminal records and McGee" Gibbs instructed.

"Yes, Boss?" McGee asked.

"See how Abby's doing with the knife" Gibbs said as he walked off.

In the Autopsy room, Ducky was examining Hadden's body for an exact time of death.

"You poor fellow you. Someone kills you, taking your whole holiday away from you. That was a good idea, you know? Australia. I've always wanted to go there. Wonderful weather. Not to mention, the marvelous wildlife it has to offer. It would be a wondrous experience." Ducky said.

The door to the Autopsy opened and Gibbs walked in.

"Ah, Jethro, I was expecting you," Ducky told him, "I was just telling Hadden here how wonderful a holiday Australia would have been for him. A good stress-reliever, if he needed it, mind you"

"You got a time of death, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, sir," Jimmy said, walking over from the computer, "He was killed five weeks ago, that's the best estimate we have"

"The same time as his flight" Gibbs stated.

"Do you think it could be interwined, Jethro? Or possibly it's just coincidence?" Ducky asked.

"Rule number thirty-nine, Duck" Gibbs said as he walked out.

McGee entered Abby's Lab to some heavy rock music.

"ABBY!" He shouted, to whcih Abby turned the music down.

"McGee!" Abby stated, with her arms open.

"How are you going?" McGee asked her as he walked in.

Abby walked up to the knife which was on the table.

"Ducky was right, it is a fishing knife, used for cutting those hard bait. An average fisherman wouldn't be seen with one of these, though, because these things are for the more serious fishermen. The people who treat fishing the same way Gibbs treats his job" She explained as she turned around to the computer.

"What about the fingerprints?" McGee asked, scanning the knife up and down.

"Working on it as we speak, McGee" She answered as the computer beeped.

Abby jumped with joy.

"Got a match!" She squealed, looking at the name, "And they have a very interesting name. I love names like this because they're two names and it means technically they don't have a surname-"

"What is it, Abs?" McGee asked as he turned around towards her.

Abby turned to face McGee and with a big smile, said "Harvey. Ryan."


	2. It's Not A Holiday If You Have To Work

"Talk" Gibbs instructed as he walked into the team's work area.

"Hadden has no criminal records whatsoever, Gibbs," Ziva stated, getting up from her desk, "I would assume that is a requirement to be a Naval Delivery Officer"

"And he had no enemies at his workplace, Boss," Tony added, walking over from his desk, "According to his Superior, they were all happy cozy workmates"

"Boss, we got a lead" McGee said as he walked into the work area.

"Speak, McGee" Gibbs demanded.

"Abby got a match on the knife. The fingerprints belong to a Harvey Ryan." McGee replied.

"Well, get him up" Gibbs said, pointing to the screen.

"On it, Boss" McGee answered as he sat at his desk and typed the name into his computer.

The screen transferred from Brian Hadden's ID to a man with short black hair and a face full of scruff, along with the name Harvey Ryan.

"Looks homeless" Tony stated.

"Not according to the records, Tony," McGee said, "Harvey Ryan, age unknown by the system, brought up in the small town of Summer Bay in New South Wales, Australia. He arrived in the US at the age of twenty-nine. Two years later, he went on to marry his wife and had a daughter. They then divorced two months after and he hasn't been seen with them since"

"We need to pay a visit to this Harvey Ryan" Gibbs told the team.

"We got a problem, Boss" McGee stopped Gibbs.

"What, McGee?" Gibbs asked harshly.

"Harvey Ryan left on a flight to Summer Bay five weeks ago" McGee stated.

Gibbs was silent for a moment.

"Pack up," He said, heading towards the elevator, "We're going on holiday"

"It's not a holiday if we have to work" Tony stated as the rest of the team followed Gibbs.

Ziva just whacked Tony's shoulder.

In the Summer Bay House, Marilyn Chambers was giving Colleen Smart a haircut.

"You know, Madge Wilkins reckons that her hairdresser is the best one in town. I haven't the heart to tell her that there is only one best stylist in town and it's not hers" Colleen was saying.

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Smart, that is so kind of you" Marilyn replied.

Just as marilyn was about to grab the hairspray, there was a knock on the door.

"Go ahead and get it," Colleen told her, "I can wait"

Marilyn walked over to the door and answered it to four people all suited up in black. Three men and a woman. One of the men had silver grey hair.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" Marilyn asked them.

The silver-haired man held up an ID.

"NCIS," he said, "We're on a case in town"

"We were wondering if we could get a caravan while we are here" The woman stated.

"Oh, of course, come on in" Marilyn motioned for the team of four to walk in.

Colleen noticed them.

"Oh, what happened? I swear I only stole that ten dollars from Madge Wilkins because if I asked her, she would gossip about me being a thief!" Colleen said.

"Mrs. Smart, do you mind if we continue this some other time?" Marilyn asked her.

"Oh, yes, of course!" Colleen said as she walked out, eyeing each member of the team.

"So, should I just put it under NCIS, Mr..?" Marilyn began asking, as she started writing in a book.

"Gibbs," Gibbs introduced himself, "And these are Special Agents McGee, DiNozzo and David. Under NCIS would be fine"

Tony looked around on the table where Marilyn's hair supplies were. He noticed a photo that was face down. He picked it up and turned it over to see Harvey Ryan with some lady.

"Who is this, ma'am?" Tony asked Marilyn, showing her the photograph.

"Oh, that? That's Harvey! He's my housemate's boyfriend and a local councillor...Is there something wrong?" Marilyn inquired.

"Not at all, ma'am" Tony said, placing the photo back on the table.

"Okay then," Marilyn replied, "I'll just show you to your caravan. Right this way"

At Harvey Ryan's house, his ex-wife, Mel, was scolding their daughter, Lottie.

"It doesn't matter if you pay it off, you should not have taken it!" Mel said.

"But, Mum, technically he didn't just give it to me if I pay it off! I thought you'd appreciate that" Lottie retaliated.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't take it at all!" Mel said as the doorbell rang.

She went to answer the door to see the NCIS team.

"Does Harvey Ryan live here?" Gibbs asked Mel.

"Not anymore," Mel replied, "What for?"

"NCIS," Gibbs said, holding up ID, "Do you know the man at all?"

"Yes, I'm his ex-wife," Mel stated, "What's going on?"

"We're investigating a murder, we have cause to believe your ex-husband is the culprit," Gibbs told her, "Do you know where we can find him?"

"He spends most of his time either with his new girlfriend at the Caravan Park's House or around town, since he is a local councillor," Mel told them, "If it's any consolation, his girlfriend works at The Pier Diner"

"Thank you," Gibbs said, turning to his team, "McGee, go back to the House in case he turns up, Ziva, make your way to The Diner to find his girlfriend, whose name is.."

"Roo" Mel replied.

"Thank you" Ziva said as she made her way and McGee did the same.

"Do you mind if we speak to you?" Gibbs asked Mel.

"Not at all, come in" Mel replied.

Ziva arrived at The Diner and walked up to the counter. Leah Patterson-Baker was at the counter.

"Hi, what can I get for you?" Leah asked.

"NCIS," Ziva stated, holding up ID, "I am looking for a woman called Roo"

"Oh, she finished her shift not that long ago. Is there anything a matter?" Leah stated.

"No, nothing, I just need to speak with her. Where does she live?" Ziva asked.

"She lives at the House in the Caravan Park, her father runs it" Leah replied.

"Thank you," Ziva said, "I will get a coffee, please, if you do not mind"

"Of course! Do you mind waiting? It's just me here at the moment" Leah said.

"No, I do not mind" Ziva said as she walked over to a table and sat down.

She pulled out her phone and called McGee.

"Ziva?" McGee answered.

"McGee, Harvey Ryan's girlfriend should turn up where you are any second, be aware, her name is Roo" Ziva told him.

"Got it" McGee said as he hung up.

At the Summer Bay House, McGee was sitting in the back courtyard, admiring the beautiful land, when he heard Marilyn's voice.

"Roo!" She said.

McGee got up and walked into the House to see Marilyn with another lady.

"Excuse me" McGee said.

Roo gave McGee a quizzical look.

"Oh, Roo, this is Special Agent McGee from NCIS. They're in town about a case" Marilyn introduced him to her.

"Are you Roo, Harvey Ryan's girlfriend?" McGee asked Roo.

"That's me.." Roo said.

"I need to speak to you, please," McGee told her, then looking at Marilyn, "In private"

"Oh..," Marilyn said, "I'll just be upstairs"


	3. Who Framed Harvey Ryan?

Roo took a seat as McGee did so aswell.

"What's going on?" Roo asked.

"We have reason to believe Harvey Ryan is behind the murder we are investigating" McGee told her.

"What? That can't be. How?" Roo asked.

"We have evidence that points to him," McGee replied, "Could you tell me where we can find him?"

"We?" Roo queried.

"My colleagues are around town," McGee answered her, "Now, are you going to tell me?"

"Yes, yes, he's at the Surf Club in a meeting with John Palmer" Roo told him.

"Thank you, ma'am" McGee said as he walked out the back door.

Marilyn came down from upstairs.

"Oh, what was all that about?" Marilyn asked Roo.

"Harvey's being accused of murder!" Roo stated.

"No!" Marilyn gasped.

"Yes! Apparently, they have evidence that points to him," Roo replied, "First, he doesn't tell me he has an ex-wife and a kid and now he's not telling me that he murdered someone overseas before he came here! How many secrets does this man have? Augh!" Roo riled, walking out.

Gibbs and DiNozzo had just entered the Surf Club when Gibbs got a call.

"Gibbs" he answered, "Got it"

"What was that about, Boss?" Tony asked, looking around.

"Harvey Ryan's here with a John Palmer" Gibbs told Tony.

"Let me show you how it's done, Boss" Tony told Gibbs.

Tony raised his voice and faced Gibbs.

"Yes, I know that John Palmer has a way with.." Tony began but got interrupted.

"Excuse me!" A curly silver haired man at a table said.

Tony and Gibbs walked over to him.

"I'm John Palmer, what were you saying about me?" John asked.

"Oh, nothing, just how reputable you are around here" Tony lied.

"Well, as long as it's good news" John replied.

Tony noticed the papers on the table.

"Plans for something?" He asked, pointing to them.

"Yes, organising a fishing tour. It's going to be a surprise for Alf when he gets back if I can convince the councillor" John answered.

"A fisherman yourself, are you?" Tony asked him.

"A bit. Though I do tend to take it seriously, my wife's always complaining when I do" John answered.

Just then, Harvey Ryan came over to the table with two drinks.

"Here you are, John" He said.

"You must be Harvey Ryan" Tony said, looking at him.

"Y-Yes, that's me" Harvey said.

"NCIS," said Gibbs, holding up ID, "You're coming to Yabbee Creek Station with us"

Gibbs got a hold of Harvey, who was confused at the situation.

"We'll finish this later, then..." John said.

Gibbs and Tony entered Yabbee Creek Police Station with Harvey in tow. Gibbs handed Harvey to Tony and walked up to the desk.

"NCIS" He said, holding up ID.

"Yes, Director Vance called and told us you'd be here," Sargeant Watson told him, "Interrogation Room's yours"

She motioned for him to walk in, which he did, followed by Tony and Harvey. Tony placed Harvey down on the chair as Gibbs sat on the opposite end of the table.

"What am I here for?" Harvey asked.

"DiNozzo" Gibbs said.

Tony got out the photo of their victim and placed it in front of Harvey.

"Do you know this man?" Gibbs asked Harvey.

"I've never seen him in my life.." Harvey replied.

"What about the name Brian Hadden?" Gibbs asked him, staring directly into Harvey's eyes.

"Nope...The name doesn't ring a bell" Harvey answered.

"He was found murdered by strangulation and a more dramatic attack to the heart not long ago. His time of death was five weeks ago," Gibbs explained, "The same time you left for here"

"Hey, just because I left America the same time this guy got killed doesn't make me the murderer" Harvey said.

Tony pulled out a photo of the knife that was found at the crime scene.

"Look familiar?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's a fishing knife used to cut the hard bait" Harvey replied.

"It's your fishing knife, Mr. Ryan," Gibbs told him, "It was found near the crime scene with your fingerprints on it"

"I never touched it before my flight," Harvey told them, "I gave it to my brother two days before I came here"

"Is your brother in town?" Gibbs asked.

"No, I was told he died in a car accident in the US a couple of days ago" Harvey explained.

"You're free to go," Gibbs said, "For now"

"Do you think it was an accident, Boss?" Tony asked Gibbs after Harvey had left.

"No," Gibbs said, "This man is telling the truth. He knows nothing about our case. But clearly his brother did and paid for it."

At the Caravan Park, the NCIS team were in their caravan, McGee had a projector running from his computer, projecting onto the wall.

"Harvey Ryan's brother's accident happened a few days ago, Boss," McGee was saying, "According to the records, he was speeding and crashed into a cafe's window, dying immediately"

"An immediate death by speeding" Tony stated.

"He was speeding to get away from our killer," Gibbs said, "The killer didn't plan that just because he might have witnessed our murder but he has something against the Ryan family, that much is clear. We need to keep Harvey protected, Ziva, I want you with him at all times. DiNozzo, McGee and I will interrogate suspects that are close to Harvey. The killer could already be in Summer Bay, waiting for the right moment to kill Harvey Ryan"


	4. Interrogations

**John Palmer**

John was sitting in Sargeant Watson's office, waiting, wondering why he was brought in along with Alf and Brax, who got sent off to other rooms. McGee walked in.

"Yes, hello," John said, "Why was I brought in? Care to explain it to me?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Palmer, I just need to ask you some questions" McGee replied.

"About what?" John queried.

"About Harvey Ryan" McGee stated, "How much do you know about fishing knives, first of all?"

"Not alot, but quite a bit" John replied.

"And my colleague told me you're a fisher yourself? Do you fish often?" McGee said.

"Not that often, no, I've got a business to run as well you know. What's this got to do with Harvey Ryan?" John answered.

"We believe someone may be out to kill him" McGee said.

"And you think I am?" John asked, "I wouldn't hurt a fly"

"I can see that, Mr. Palmer, I just need to know if you know of anyone who might" McGee told him.

"Apart from the people you've already got in here? No, noone" John answered.

"Thank you, Mr. Palmer" McGee said, "You may leave"

**Daryl Braxton**

Brax walked into the room, babbling off.

"Look, whatever Heath's done to you US Navies, I'm sure it can be fixed" He started.

"This isn't about your brother's actions, Mr. Braxton," Tony replied, "We can talk about that at a later date"

Tony walked up and sat on one of the tables.

"Then what's it about?" Brax asked, as he sat on the table next to Tony.

"Fishing" Tony said.

"Fishing?" Brax asked, "You called me into the cop shop to talk about fishing?"

"Not just fishing, Mr. Braxton," Tony answered, "I need to know how much you know about fishing"

"A fair bit," Brax replied, "I grew up on Mangrove River, but my family had their own problems, so I didn't really have much time to fish"

"Yes, I heard about that, but you know the difference between fishing knives and normal ones?" Tony asked him.

"Any fisher knows that" Brax said.

"And what about Harvey Ryan?" Tony continued.

"The councillor? What about him?" Brax asked.

"Have you had any troubles with him in the past? Any reason you may want to hurt him?" Tony asked the River Boy.

"Wait. Is this what it's about? Some lunatic's after the councillor and you're assuming because I'm a River Boy, it's me?" Brax asked, getting furious.

"Calm down, Daryl," Tony said, "We're following leads of fishing in the Bay. You just happen to be one of them. Do you know of anyone who might want to kill Mr. Ryan?"

"No.." Brax said, stopping to calm down and think for a moment, "I don't think it matters but my little brother's Maths teacher looks similar to him. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

"Anything counts. Have you got a name?" Tony asked.

"David..Townsend, I think it was" Brax stated.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Braxton" Tony told him as Brax walked out.

**Alf Stewart**

Alf walked into the Interrogation Room in a rage.

"What the flamin' hell am I doing here?" He yelled as he sat down.

"Sit down, shut up and answer my questions!" Gibbs said in his icy tone, giving Alf his signature stare.

This reserved Alf for a bit, so he went silent. Gibbs had a bunch of papers out on the table in front of him.

"Alf Stewart," he said, "You were framed for Penn Graham's murder"

"That was a long time ago" Alf said.

"It's on your records, it counts" Gibbs said.

"But they caught Will and he went to jail for it" Alf stated.

"If Will Smith hadn't killed Penn Graham, would you have?" Gibbs asked harshly.

"If Will hadn't, I sure would have. Penn Graham was a menace to me!" Alf yelled.

Gibbs looked down at his notes.

"You own a Bait Shop, you must know quite alot about fishing then" Gibbs continued.

"Yes. You need to when running a shop like that," Alf replied, "Keeps the customers coming"

"You and Harvey Ryan have a rocky history" Gibbs said, reading over one of the papers, "Up against each other at the election, you lost amongst other things"

"Harvey Ryan is almost as bad as Penn was" Alf answered.

"Your daughter's dating him" Gibbs stated.

"Not my decision," Alf replied, "She's always been getting herself into the wrong relationships. It seems to be a habit"

"Yet you still allow her to, despite your hatred towards Mr. Ryan" Gibbs said.

"Like I said, not my decision. It's up to her who she dates" Alf answered.

"Thank you," Gibbs said, "One moment"

Gibbs walked out of the Interrogation Room and turned to Sargeant Watson.

"Keep him on lockdown" He told her, pointing to the Interrogation Room.

He noticed Tony and McGee were waiting for him. He walked up to them.

"What have you got?" Gibbs asked them.

"John Palmer knew only a little about fishing and knows noone apart from who we had in here that would kill Harvey" McGee began.

"Daryl Braxton knew alot about fishing and made it clear that he wouldn't kill Harvey, Boss," Tony replied, "However, he did mention there's a man in town who looks almost exactly like Harvey Ryan. Goes by the name of David Townsend"

"Call Ziva," Gibbs ordered, "Make sure she's with the right person. McGee, go back to the Caravan Park and do some more research on this David Townsend. If you find anything, come straight back here"

"What do I do after I call Ziva, Boss?" Tony asked.

Gibbs just glared at him.

"Meet up with her?" Tony queried.

"You think, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, as he slapped the back of Tony's head and walked back to the Interrogation Room.


	5. The Picnic

Harvey Ryan was on the corner of the beach, sitting on a blanket with Roo Stewart and his daughter, Lottie. Ziva was standing to the side. There were bushes surrounding the area. She could see why they picked this spot. They wanted their own little privacy. Ziva noticed Roo walking towards her.

"Look, Agent David-" Roo started.

"Ziva. Please" Ziva corrected her.

"Ziva," Roo corrected herself, "I'm happy that you came with us, but do you really have to be here? I mean, I don't want to stop you from doing any of your important work"

"I am afraid I must be here. This is my important work" Ziva said.

"Being here is your important work? Why? Do you guys think Harvey's going to kill one of us?" Roo was silent for a second, realising Harvey would never hurt his daughter, "Do you think he's going to kill me?"

"It is quite the opposite," Ziva told her, "Someone may kill him"

"Are you serious?" Roo asked, looking to Harvey and Lottie.

He was tickling his daughter, who was laughing, rolling around on the blanket.

"That is why I am here," Ziva stated, "Not only to protect him but you and Lottie aswell"

Roo nodded and walked back over to the blanket. Ziva stepped a little bit closer, just so she could be in listening distance of them.

"What was that all about?" Harvey was asking Roo.

"I just asked her if she wanted to join us" Roo lied.

"And?" Harvey asked.

"She said no" Roo said.

"Come on, Ziva. Join us!" Lottie was calling to her.

"I am fine, thank you!" Ziva called back as her phone began ringing.

She looked at the caller ID and answered.

"Tony" She said.

"Ziva," Tony said on the other line, "I was just informed that there's someone in Summer Bay who looks exactly like Harvey Ryan. Just make sure that that is Harvey, okay?"

"Okay," Ziva said, "Is that all?"

"Oh and the Boss wants me to meet you there," Tony replied, "Where are you?"

"On the beach in the corner, surrounded by bushes," Ziva told him, "It is very hard to spot, you may need your glasses"

"I don't have glasses" Tony said.

"Admit it, Tony, you are as blind as a rat" Ziva joked.

"Bat," Tony corrected her, "As blind as a bat"

"Whatever," Ziva replied, "See you when you arrive"

She looked over to Harvey, Roo and Lottie who were digging into Roo's picnic basket. She walked over to them.

"You finally decided to join us" Lottie said.

"No," Ziva smiled, then turning to Harvey said, "May I see your wallet for a second?"

"Uh..sure," Harvey said, digging around in his pocket and handing his wallet to her, "What for, may I ask?"

"I just need to check something.." She replied, trailing off as she heard some rustling in the bushes behind Harvey.

For all she knew, it could have been Tony playing a trick on her but she had to be wary.

"Get up," Ziva told them, "Now"

They did as she said and stood back.

"Stay here" She told Harvey, who was about to go over to Roo, who was holding Lottie.

She gave him back his wallet as the bushes rustled more.

"What's happening?" Lottie asked.

"Stay calm" Ziva reassured the girl.

Suddenly, a man who was dressed exactly like Harvey and looked like him to a tee jumped out of the bushes, holding a knife. He lifted the knife up, pointing it at Harvey. Ziva lifted her leg high and kicked the knife out of the man's hand, where it landed near the water. The man turned to Ziva and started fighting her.

"Mr. Townsend!" Lottie screamed.

Ziva was blocking every attack that came for her and when she had the chance, she kicked and punched him wherever she could possible. At that moment, Tony came rushing through the bushes. He noticed the fight and grabbed Townsend from behind, wrapping his arms around his back.

"David Townsend, I presume?" Tony asked him.

Ziva stood, brushing her jumper. She glared at Townsend.

"David? You are a disgrace to the name" She said icily.

"It's not pronounced the same, Ziva" Tony told her as he headed through the bushes to the car.

"That does not make him any less of a disgrace, Tony!" She called out as she went to fetch the knife.

Tony and Ziva walked into Yabbee Creek Station with a handcuffed David Townsend to see McGee was at the desk handing Gibbs some papers. They walked past a furious Alf.

"Finally! Damn people who come to the Bay screwing up my record!" Alf was saying as he left.

Gibbs looked to them.

"You brought in Harvey Ryan?" He asked.

"No, David Townsend, Boss," Tony replied, "I caught him fighting Ziva"

"He was about to stab Harvey Ryan, Gibbs" Ziva told him.

Gibbs snatched the papers from the counter.

"McGee, with me" He said as he walked into the Interrogation Room.

McGee took Townsend from Tony and Ziva and walked into the Interrogation Room with him, placing him on the chair.

Gibbs put his hands together, with his elbows on the table.

"You were lucky" He stated.

"I could have taken her" Townsend said, leaning back in the chair.

"She's an ex-Mossaad, she could kill you 18 different ways with a paperclip! You're lucky she didn't just throw you into the ocean! Now explain yourself!" Gibbs yelled, "Why were you in the bushes spying on Harvey Ryan?"

"I wasn't spying, I was in the area and I heard voices" Townsend said comofrtably.

"You jumped out at them with a knife! Pointing it at Harvey Ryan!" Gibbs screamed, "Where'd you get the knife?"

"From my kitchen" Townsend said.

"McGee" Gibbs instructed.

"Yes, Boss" McGee said as he walked out.

He came back with an evidence bag with the knife inside and a piece of paper. He placed them both on the table. Gibbs swirled the evidence bag to Townsend.

"This knife?" Gibbs asked.

"That's correct" Townsend said, looking at the knife.

"Take a look at the knife, Townsend" Gibbs said.

"I did" Townsend replied.

"Did you see the logo?" Gibbs asked.

Townsend squinted at the knife.

"Right there!" Gibbs said, pointing at the knife's logo, "It's not a kitchen knife, it's a fishing knife!"

"So?" Townsend asked.

"Sargeant Watson was kind enough to run a background and fingerprint scan on it for us," Gibbs said, "We matched it up to this knife"

He opened a folder, pulling out a picture of the knife found near Brian Hadden's crime scene.

Townsend looked at the photo, "And?"

"They are the same type of knife" Gibbs stated.

"Yeah, so?" Townsend asked, nonchalantly.

"The fingerprints don't match. But that's natural, since you purchased this knife right here in Summer Bay. At Alf Stewart's Bait Shop. That's why the only fingerprints are yours and his" Gibbs said.

He moved the photo of the knife found at Brian Hadden's murder towards Townsend.

"However, this knife you stole off Harvey Ryan's brother in the US" Gibbs stated coldly.

"Where's your proof?" Townsend asked.

"Right here" Gibbs said, spreading out the papers McGee had handed him when Tony and Ziva brought Townsend in.

"Your flight records, Your credit records, Your whereabouts records," Gibbs said, pointing to each paper, "Apparently, you were being tracked in the US. Was that because you were speeding? That day you were chasing Harvey Ryan's brother and he crashed into a shop? Is that why you were being tracked?"

"I don't know why I was being tracked" Townsend replied.

"It most likely would have been for speeding" Gibbs told him, knowing he knew exactly the reason why and that he was being tracked.

"Still, that doesn-" Townsend began.

"I'm not finished!" Gibbs yelled, "Your credit records show you made a purchase of a snack on a flight to Australia five weeks ago. But what doesn't add up is that your flight records show no flights to Australia. At. All."

Gibbs took out another piece of paper from the folder.

"However, Brian Hadden's flight records show that he did board a flight to Australia five weeks ago," Gibbs said, pulling out a photo of Brian Hadden's body with the time of death attached, "The time he would have been lying in a dumpster dead. Tell me, Townsend. Can a dead man walk?"

Townsend gulped, and replied "No"

"Then would he be able to board a flight to another country?" Gibbs asked.

Townsend shook his head.

"Exactly. You know what I think?" Gibbs said, "I think you noticed Harvey Ryan's brother was in the US and went after him. You managed to find all the details you needed and _that's_ when you sped up and forced him to crash into a shop. Instantly killing the man. You walked up to see if you'd done the dirty deed and noticed the knife that fell out of his pocket. The knife Harvey Ryan gave him before he left for Summer Bay. You conveniently had gloves in your pocket, put them on and took the knife. But you knew you were being tracked as soon as you started speeding. So you needed a disguise."

Gibbs pulled out another piece of paper.

"We did a little bit of research on that crash," He stated, " The shop Harvey Ryan's brother crashed into was right next door to a party shop. I think you noticed this and went in and bought a disguise. You can't be tracked if they can't see you, right? Right. So you put on the disguise, still wearing the gloves and planned a way to get out of the country. You noticed Brian Hadden had an airplane ticket and you attacked him, only wanting to grab the ticket. What you didn't know is that Hadden was part of the Navy, so he put up a fight. You had no choice then but to murder an innocent man. You then took his ticket and flew to a quiet town like this, never to be heard of again. But that's not all. Harvey Ryan suddenly became the news of the town, all the press coverage on him. Basically screaming at you to go and find him and kill him"

Townsend was sweating, nervously, McGee noticed. Gibbs did this with all his suspects who he was sure was the culprit. He knew he would be the same if he was in that chair. Gibbs went on.

"Tell me. What's your history with the Ryan family, Townsend?" Gibbs asked, leaning back in his chair.

"I always hated him," Townsend began to admit, "We grew up as kids. We were best friends. Because we looked the same, you know? So we pretended we were twins. But he got all the attention. Him and his brother. I looked exactly like them but they were he ones with all the girls, all the popularity. My rage just grew for them one day and I stopped hanging out with them. When I noticed they were still getting popularity, I moved to the US. And then they followed me," he clenched his fists behind his back, "That just irritated me so much. I wanted them to leave me to my own popularity but they wouldn't. The only way I could be as popular as them was to kill them"

Gibbs moved his head towards McGee and McGee lifted Townsend up, taking him out of the Interrogation Room.


	6. Abby's Secret

At the Caravan Park, McGee was paying Marilyn their bill.

Ziva was with Roo and Harvey, Gibbs and Tony were apologising to Alf.

"How are you?" Ziva asked the couple.

"I'm fine, what about you?" Roo asked Harvey.

"I'm alright," he said, "I just can't believe it was David. I mean, we were such good friends as kids. I thought he'd just grown out of us."

"He is somewhere where he cannot harm you now" Ziva reassured them, "How is Lottie? I believe she knew him. She did shout out his name"

"Yeah, apparently he was a teacher at the school," Harvey replied, "I didn't even know. She's at Dex, her boyfriend's house, now. It's where she goes for comfort"

"It is good she has such a great boyfriend" Ziva smiled at them.

"Were we talking about me? Stop telling people about my many escapades at being a great boyfriend, Ziva" Tony said as he walked over to them.

Roo and Harvey laughed at this but Ziva glared at Tony.

"I know it's none of my business," Roo said, "But are you guys together?"

She waved finger between the two of them. Tony and Ziva stared at her blankly.

"Us?" Tony asked.

"Together?" Ziva asked.

"Tiva" McGee joked as he walked up to them.

"Shut up, McGee!" Tony and Ziva said in unison.

"Let's go, Tiva" Gibbs ordered as he left the Caravan Park.

The team walked out of the lift of NCIS Headquarters into their quadrant to see Abby standing there waiting for them.

"How'd you go? How was Australia?" Abby asked as they walked up to her.

"Beautiful" McGee said, as he sat down.

"Tiring" Ziva said as she did the same..

Gibbs just walked past her. She knew who he wanted to see first.

"Both. On how we went, it turned out to be a hatred thing. Some guy called David Townsend." Tony replied, sitting down and going straight back into the Batman comics that were still on his desk.

Abby stood in the middle of the quadrant at hearing the name. McGee noticed this.

"You okay, Abs?" He asked her.

"Yeah..Yeah," She answered, "I just missed you guys, that's all"

"Hey!" They heard Tony shout.

They all turned to look at him.

"Someone wrote on the copy of Batman Rise Of Gotham's Knight mint edition copy McGee gave me!" Tony said.

Ziva and McGee had an idea who and they looked to them. Abby sipped her Caf-Pow and began walking away, back to her Lab.


End file.
